


Yes, Sir. That's my baby.

by RavenInugami



Category: NCIS, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Female Tony DiNozzo, Not Beta Read, Rule 63, Translation, not MCRT friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:48:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21561379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenInugami/pseuds/RavenInugami
Summary: The Lt. Colonel was tall, the Marine uniform was flawless, as was the honey blond hair tied into a strict bun. The gaze from green eyes was scrutinizing, estimating, and testifying to a character one better didn’t mess with. Normally, Jack would have had some things to say about the by-the-book appearance of the Marine; if he hadn’t read the new squad leader’s file. Antonia J. Paddington had been sent to a military academy at the age of 12 and had flipped her father the proverbial bird.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Cameron Mitchell (Stargate), Sam Carter/Daniel Jackson
Comments: 30
Kudos: 276





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I tried something new with this one. Writing Tony as Toni was fun and I hope you'll like it.  
> As always, if you find something, tell me I don't bite.

Part one:

“General, I’d like to introduce Lt. Colonel Paddington to you.”

Lieutenant General Jack O’Neill looked up from the unloved paperwork in front of him and could not resist an admiring glance. The Lt. Colonel was tall, the Marine uniform was flawless, as was the honey blond hair tied into a strict bun. The gaze from green eyes was scrutinizing, estimating, and testifying to a character one better didn’t mess with. Normally, Jack would have had some things to say about the by-the-book appearance of the Marine; if he hadn’t read the new squad leader’s file. Antonia J. Paddington had been sent to a military academy at the age of 12 and had flipped her father the proverbial bird. First in that she had finished her school career with all highest honors. After going to College as ROTC she had joined the USMC as a pilot and had made a name for herself with her excellent performances and innovative, unusual ideas. The latter had put her on the SGC radar. However, no one could explain why she eventually gave up her birth name in favor of the more prominent Paddington, but never took advantage of her connections to the English aristocracy. On the contrary, she had shown anyone who wanted to make her life difficult what she was capable of. Stubbornness, persistence, and sometimes carelessness about her own health were just some of the less friendly things in Paddington’s file. The discovery of the DNA markers for the Ancient gene had moved her from pilot candidate for the F-302 to leader of the new SGx. The squadron, which consisted of the new fighters in which the technology of Goa’uld gliders, US stealth bombers, Wraith darts and jumpers had been combined. The dozen machines of the squad were the results of the dreams and nightmares of the Doctors McKay, Zelenka and Lee and the Colonels Carter, Mitchell and Sheppard. Similar to the 302s, they had not simply combined the technology, but had analyzed it in the original and then rebuilt it. The financing had come from a fund, whose origin could not be traced back exactly. But it was more than clear that neither the Trust, nor the NID or any other shadow organization had its fingers in the pie. Jack could well imagine, however, that a certain English family with connections to the Royal Family had something to do with supporting one of their own. But in his opinion, there was nothing wrong with supporting new technology. Ultimately it was skill that decided who would be in a squadron and who would be the squad leader.

Amused, Jack watched an eyebrow being lifted and realized that he had been lost in his thoughts for too long. He stood up and shook the colonel’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Colonel.”

A sparkle that he could not analyze appeared in her eyes. “Mhm, no remark about women in higher positions in the military? Sam was so sure that she hadn’t been completely successful. But I objected and said that even the greatest chauvinist after all these years should have learned that it doesn’t matter where in the body a person’s reproductive organs are to define abilities.”

Jack had the decency to look aside when reminded of his initial behavior toward Carter. “In my defense, that referred to her doctorate rather than the fact that she’s female.”

“If you say so, General.”

Jack felt as if the Colonel was laughing at him, even though there was nothing to be seen outwardly. Colonel Davies, who had led her to the General’s office, looked uncomfortable back and forth between the two.

“Well, if that’s all. Colonel Paddington, I’ll take care of testing the people whose names you mentioned.”

“Thank you, Colonel.” Davies nodded and then left the office.

“Names, tests, Colonel?” Jack sat down and indicated her to do the same.

“Yes, sir. As you know, one of the specifications of the new fighters is the genetic interface of the jumpers. That means we need pilots who have the gene. So far, the selection has been made with clean slates in mind. But I thought, why not do a Pacific Rim? Medals, awards and good manners are worth shit when it comes to defending Earth. Through relationships that I don’t want to and won’t explain, I already knew about SGx when it only existed as sketches in the various notebooks and I discreetly kept my eyes open for pilots who might not look perfect on paper, but whoever knocks on our door hoping to annoy us, will have a hell of a time. I left the list for Colonel Davies to test for the existence of the gene.”

“And if they do have it?”

The colonel leaned back and smiled mischievously; a smile that could also appear on Jack’s face.

“Well, General, then I hope you’ll be able to make it clear to the JCS, the President and any other Washington office sitter that this scum - and the term will be uttered - will ensure that the nice gentlemen can continue to live with their wives in the villas and drive with their mistresses to the Hamptons. The scum will make sure that they can sleep peacefully. Therefore, they shouldn’t be like that and give the men and women the clearance. And if that’s not enough, I think the names Jonathan J. O’Neill and John Sheppard should bring back enough memories. None of you have what is really considered a clean slate. Nevertheless, the respective planet and galaxy have been saved countless times, because the ability to think outside the rules and regulations has not yet been completely driven out. And that is exactly what is needed.”

Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You’re pretty open with your opinion; I didn’t expect that from someone so highly decorated.”

She laughed openly. “I am something very special, sir. I’m able to commit rule breaking in a way that makes it seem by-the-book. I bend rules, but I don’t break them. I’m a wild card, see things that others don’t see and take advantage of these gaps. Mercilessly, without restraint.”

The passionate sparkle in the eyes of his counterpart reminded him of a young woman he had met almost 40 years before, even though in reality it was only about 10 and although it seemed to him much longer. Life as part of HomeWorld Security could really mess up your sense of time. Time travel and Greyhound Day were just two examples. Jack shook his head to get rid of the thoughts.

“If you say so, Colonel. As you probably already know, SGx will be stationed at Peterson, so you will be transferred there with immediate effect.”

“Thank God”, she said, relieved and losing some of her stiff sitting posture.

“Problems?”

“No, just a stubborn NCIS Agent who believes he can get everything he wants and can’t accept a no.” She noticed his cold gaze and realized how this statement could be taken, so she hurried to correct his assumption. “Agent Gibbs thinks I should quit the service and put my analytical skills at the service of NCIS and become part of his team. But I didn’t fight my way through training accidents and against the outdated views of my superiors to now be drawn into the power struggle that I would be facing as part of that team. Gibbs believes that competition stimulates teamwork, usually at the expense of a clear command structure. I know one of his former SFAs personally. At some point, he asked to be transferred to an Afloat position because he could no longer stand the insubordination of the Junior Agents. He had to fake a medical reason because Gibbs thinks only he has the power to decide when someone leaves his team.”

“Sounds like an alluring character”, Jack joked. “How did you run into him?”

She sighed. “I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut. But under no circumstances would I have let an innocent man go to jail.” With a gesture Jack indicated to her to continue. “One of my comrades was accused of raping and killing a young woman. Gibbs and his team were the investigators in charge and saw only the obvious. I drew their attention to the obvious mistakes in their work.”

“And what were they”, Jack asked interestedly and watched in amazement as her gaze closed.

“I don’t want to endanger the career of a good soldier by satisfying your curiosity, General. With all due respect.”

Jack immediately had a pretty good idea of what the mistake had been, but felt compelled to assure the Colonel that this had never been a problem for the HWS and would never be.

“You will find, Colonel that it does not matter with whom the night is spent as a member of HWS. As long as it’s consensual and no animals or persons underage are involved.”

Relief spread across her face. What the General didn’t know was that the soldier in question, Captain Lance Williams, was on the list. He was grateful for her intervention without betraying his sexuality, and that kind of loyalty simply couldn’t be bought.

“Then we’ll understand each other, General. But Agent Gibbs is just one of the reasons I want to leave town as soon as possible and I’m here as rarely as possible.”

Jack didn’t bother to ask for the other reasons, but suspected it had something to do with her name change.

~.~

“How did it go?”

Antonia “Toni” Paddington blinked and faced the interested questioning face of Daniel Jackson.

“I had never thought him to be so... I don’t know.”

Daniel nodded, knowing exactly what she was implying. “Your character resemblance was what had first sparked my curiosity. When I found out the truth...”

“You were hardly to stop. I know, Dan. You were the one who drew my attention to SGx. I’m just not sure how the General will react to the fact that he has a daughter whom he fathered in a stoned state during a trip into the past and had also talked a lot about things which actually fall under the strictest secrecy.” She sighed. “I thought for years that my mother wasn’t quite right in the head. Her talks of me being a child of the stars. Then suddenly the boy, with whom I roamed through New York’s museums as a child and who has always been there for me, appears and tells me about the Stargate and travels to foreign times and galaxies.”

Daniel grinned crookedly. “I already apologized, didn’t I?”

“Yes, Dan. You did. And I know it’s not easy to keep this secret from your best friend. You and Sam are really incredible to keep this to yourselves until I’m ready for the truth to come out.”

Daniel waved off. “It’s no problem at all. Jack would just become a Neanderthal again and try to wrap you in bubble wrap so nothing could happen to you and I know that would drive you crazy.” She laughed, because that was a perfectly correct assessment; both of her and Jack. “But to something simpler. What did Davies and Jack say about your wish list?”

“Davies just twitched his left eyebrow a little and promised to take care of the tests. And the General... Well, I think my argumentation puzzled him a bit, but then he was convinced. I just wonder how long it will take for him to shoot Gred + Forge to the moon if they make it into the unit.”

Daniel couldn’t help laughing at that description. Gred + Forge was Toni’s nickname for the twins Georgiana and Felix Westley. They had earned the name because of their character resemblance to Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter novels. That they also had the same initials and the surname sounded similar seemed like a hint of fate. They had been in Antonia’s unit in basic training, but had been sifted out because none of their superiors could cope with them and the way their brains worked. As a result, they had scraped a living doing some unusual jobs that were better left unmentioned. Definitely two representatives of the category “scum” on her list. But she would also unconditionally entrust her life to these two, and in a worst-case scenario she preferred to have two people with her who were able to MacGyver something together, rather than a whole bunch of rule-obsessed G.I.Joes.

“I’ve just been told that we’re about to reach Peterson. How about I meet you and Sam for dinner tonight?”

Daniel nodded his consent and she closed the Skype connection that had torn her out of the thoughts about the first encounter with her biological father.

~.~ 

“I really thought the good colonel smoked something and was about to ask what experimental herbs he had access to. But then I remembered our last conversation and thought that maybe there was something to the whole thing. But damn, girl. That’s a damn hot ride.”

Toni turned her head and looked down to the hangar floor from her work. There stood a woman her age, the hands on her hips.

“Roxy!” Pleased, Toni let herself slide down the ladder she had been standing on, while she attached the letters of her callsign to the side of the plane. Roxanne “Roxy” Gomez saluted briefly, but then embraced Toni. The two women had met during their flight training and had first formed a partnership of convenience which had gradually turned into a true friendship. They both had to fight with multiple prejudices. For Toni it was her appearance, the name Paddington, her gender and the fact that she was intellectually and physically superior to some of her comrades without much effort. Even though Roxy may be nobody’s fool, the prejudices that came against her were more ethnical. As the daughter of an Afro-American mother and a Cuban-Mexican father, the stupid comments were inevitable. The fact that she looked like a mixture of Halle Berry, Aimee Garcia and the young Lauryn Hill, with the voice of the latter, didn’t help much. Roxy and Toni had to explain to quite a few comrades that no meant indeed no. Despite everything Roxy had kept a clean file and so Major Roxanne Gomez was one of the pilots against whose approval nothing had ever spoken if she possessed the gene.

Roxy looked over Toni’s shoulder to the plane and was astonished so detached herself from her friend. “Starchild? What happened to Hotstuff?”

Toni gritted her teeth. She detested her old callsign from the depths of her soul and if she was honest, she had always felt loved when her mother had called her that. Even if she thought her mother was imagining it all. “As it turned out, my mother was not crazy. There was indeed a team stranded by a malfunction near New York, and one of this team is my biological father.”

Roxy’s eyes grew big. The fact that Toni didn’t know who her father was had bothered her for a long time. The man she thought to be her father had shunted her off to the military academy at the age of 12 when this unpleasant proof of her femininity began, so that he wouldn’t have to deal with it or her. Toni had expressed it to her this way at some point, and Roxy could well imagine that this was true because she had met DiNozzo Senior in person. This encounter ended with Toni changing her last name and breaking off all contact with DiNozzo. The absence of any family became a problem for her friend especially when the graduation was approaching and Toni knew there would be no one there for her. In the end, her uncle Clive and her childhood best friend were present. Clive told her how proud her relatives were of her, but the uncertainty about her father’s identity had always left a void in Toni.

“And who is it? Have you met him yet? Does he know? Did you talk to him?”

Before Toni could answer, an amused voice resounded, which first made her freeze and then let her snap to attention. “Sounds like a wild adventure, Colonel. Someone else who’s chasing you with offers?”

“General O’Neill, Sir.” She saluted and Roxy did the same. “I hadn’t expected your presence.”

“I like to be unpredictable, Colonel. Helps to hit the opponents unprepared and you are often underestimated. Increases the chance of survival.” Toni would have loved to close her eyes and groan in frustration. That’s exactly what she had often said and often enough in Roxy’s presence. She could really feel how the cogs started to spin and her friend came to the right conclusion. “I have a few things to discuss with Hank and I thought I’d take the chance to tell you that 1/3 of your list has the gene and some have been approved. For the remaining pilots, we’ve broadened the criteria to include your specifications. I think we should have SGx completely in the air in a month or so.”

Toni nodded relieved. That was a higher success rate than she honestly thought. Jack looked at the callsign, frowned, looked at Toni, turned around with an “Interesting choice” and left the hangar.

Toni raised one hand to prevent Roxy from speaking, but knew the silence would not last long.

In fact, Roxy confronted her an hour later. She summed up the situation with a "Holy fucking shit" and promised not to say a word unless it was lifesaving. This resulted in Toni telling that his best friend and those fiancée already knew. After all, they were the ones who had told her the truth.

~.~ 

In fact, it took just under two months for the General’s promise to come true. SGx was complete and Toni was satisfied with the selection. The squadron consisted of equal numbers of pilots and civilians. The latter, however, had all gone through basic training in one way or another, but had not made it or had been discharged. Also, the Lieutenants Liholiho and Devereaux and Captain Tanaka had no completely clean slates. But fortunately for O’Neill and many others in the top echelons the motto “You don’t leave anyone behind” counted more, so they escaped their dishonorable discharge and were transferred to SGx instead.

In other areas, Toni was not blessed with happiness. Normally she was able to keep secrets to herself without any problems. But O’Neill’s justified interest in the new squadron and his regular appearance at their training flights made it incredibly difficult for Toni not to throw the truth at him. But as she suspected how he would react, she remained silent. She could handle the fact that Senior shunted her off. What she couldn’t accept was treachery and real rejection. Senior had wanted to disinherit her when it came out that he was not her sire. However, he had withdrawn the application when he realized that he would have lost all access to her mother’s families’ assets. Toni had felt defiled and used and had made the spontaneous decision to renounce DiNozzo and adopt her mother’s maiden name. What if now her biological father rejected her as well? That would definitely be the final straw. She would have to ask for her transfer because she would not be able to bear the fact that he could show up at any time. Therefore, she remained silent.

~.~ 

Daniel observed his best friend as he concentrated on one screen observing the new squadron in a test mission near the moon. The last few weeks they had already completed test flights in the desert and occasionally left the atmosphere for a short time. The mission on and around the moon and the completion of a flight simulation were the first real test of the aircraft’s and pilots’ resilience. Therefore, some mugwumps were assembled in the SGC’S conference room. The majority had made it clear that they hoped the squadron would perform poorly. Even though Jack had been able to get his way, some were firmly against the selections. Especially that civilians were chosen instead highly decorated pilots, did not suit some. And if they had no problems with that, five women in a twelve-person squadron, that contradicted everything that was normal for the stiff and dusty high brass.

Daniel knew that Toni knew it and the squadron knew it, because Toni had sworn in especially the twins during the briefing.

“Okay, boys and girls. Let’s show the nice gentlemen what our X-Fighters can do.” Toni’s voice sounded slightly distorted, but still joyfully excited from the loudspeakers. “Just do us all a favor. Please don’t do a Marshall and Forbes. I’d like to see us all back on earth, safe and sound.”

Daniel could just stifle a smile. Only Toni was able to make two movie references in such a situation; even if nobody had probably noticed it. The next questions of a General confirmed his assumption. “X-Fighter? I didn’t know that a name for the squad had already been decided. And who are Marshall and Forbes? The names don’t mean anything to me.”

Jack briefly detached his gaze from the schematic diagram, lifted an eyebrow and said “pop culture reference” in a dry voice. In his eyes, however, there was something like a twinkle. Daniel decided to postpone the analysis until later. Now it was SGx’s performance that was decisive.

~.~

Excited and interested Jack followed the performance of the squadron. Lt. Col. Antonia (Starchild) Paddington - and he’d take the time to find out the reason for this callsign - Major Roxanne (Nighthawk) Gomez and Capt. Lance (Rocket) Williams were already familiar with each other’s thinking. The remaining members of the squadron – Capt. Rey (Shadow) Tanaka, Lt. William (Maniac) Devereaux, Lt. Dylan (Hobbit) Liholiho, the twins Georgiana (Gred) and Felix (Forge) Westley, Chester (Moony) Smith, Shannon (Scotchy) MacDermot and the ex-Lt.’s Victor (Doc) Martino and Jamie (Hunter) Cooke –, with the exception of the twins, were still far away from this silent communication. But Jack was sure that would happen over time. Already recognized the signs now, seeing with admiration how civilians, active and former military alike followed Paddington’s instructions without a problem and completed the simulation, which was shown on their OHD and led on a parkour through the asteroid belt without a hitch.

Daniel leaned back in the chair next to Jack, the obligatory cup of coffee in his hand, and rocked back and forth slightly. “She is good. I have only seen two people who have shown such intuitive interaction with extraterrestrial technology in general and ancient technology in particular.”

Jack grumbled in agreement. This instinctive behavior was really not unlike his and Lt. Col. Sheppard’s. He bent over to Daniel. “You and your people should include the names Paddington and DiNozzo in the origin research. The ATA intensity is too high to be a coincidence. After all, you have already found a common ancestor between Sheppard and me. Maybe there’s someone with Paddington, too.”

Daniel made an indefinable sound. He knew very well that this would not be successful. There was no connection between Jack, Lt. Col. Sheppard and Toni hundreds of years ago. The connection was between Jack and Toni and he had sworn never to talk about it unless it was vital.

Jack gave his friend a questioning look. Normally Daniel’s answers were much more verbose when any demands were made of him. But somehow Daniel was a bit strange in the last weeks anyway.

“Hey, buddy, you and Sam okay?” Daniel looked to the side in amazement. “Well, you’re in some strange mood. I thought, maybe...”

Daniel shook his head firmly. Everything was fine with him and Sam; except for the small problem that they had to keep the mother of all secrets from Jack. Before Jack could go any further, one of the technicians stiffened over something that had appeared on their screen, attracting the attention of the SGC veterans.

“What’s the matter, Sergeant?”

“Sir, there might be some problems. Our sensors picked up something that showed up in Titan’s shadow. We can’t say exactly what it is yet.”

“ETA to Earth?”

“Not yet defined. The data is to inaccurate. The asteroid belt is distorting the signals.”

Jack grinned. “Well, let’s ask a little birdie.”

The generals looked confused in his direction. But it was a sign for the long working relationship and the trust in Jack that the sergeant established a direct radio connection to Lt. Col. Paddington.

“Starchild, this is Stargate Command. Moon sensors picked up something near Jupiter and we’re not sure if it’s just rocks or something else.”

Toni adjusted her OHD and grimaced. “Definitely no rocks, Stargate Command. The speed decreases and their position to each other also changes constantly. Shall we intercept them?”

“Negative, Starchild”, she heard O’Neill’s voice. “We’ll send the Odyssey’s 302 to you. You retreat to Peterson. No lone wolf action, Paddington. That’s an order!”

“Yes, sir.” Even if she didn’t like it, she could understand him. SGx had almost no experience as a squadron, still in the process of finding themselves. “You heard the General. Roxy, you’re the vanguard, the rest follow her.”

“And what are you going to do? Violating a direct order?" A disbelieving male voice rang out.

“Absolutely not”, Toni assured Lance. “But someone has to watch your back if the 302 aren’t fast enough.”

Toni watched with a queasy feeling in her stomach how her squadron made off towards Earth. She let a larger gap before she followed them, keeping an eye on the approaching fleet. She would not disobey the order. Not in a brand-new fighter so shortly after being transferred to the new position. But she would bloody hell make sure that her people could safely return to the ground. A quick look back showed her why the enemy ships had been thought to be boulders at first. They were exactly those. Apparently, someone had taken the trouble to hollow out asteroids and equiped them with engines. They had to have some kind of control as well, as they were able to change their position to each other. Toni started a few systems to perform a scan and frowned. For a moment it seemed as if life signs were being discovered, but then they disappeared. Toni activated the connection to the SGC.

“Command, this is Starchild. I discovered life signs for a short moment, but then the display blurred. I don’t know if it’s my systems or if they’re equipped with interference sensors. In any case, those are pimped-out asteroids.”

“Colonel Paddington, you had specific orders to return immediately.”

Since she didn’t know the voice, she didn’t bother to be overly polite. “I know. But I am perfectly capable of multitasking. I can fly and do a scan at the same time. Information is also the grain that can make the difference between success and failure. If the Odyssey’s 302 aren’t supposed to waste ammunition senselessly, they need information. You fight spaceships with shields differently than those without; against darts differently than against gliders. Thus, it makes sense to use the time. Can someone please connect me with someone who either has something to say or knows what to do with the data I have collected?”

One of the Generals, whom Jack could bear as much as Maybourne, puffed himself up and wanted to keep on scolding the colonel via radio, but was prevented from doing so by a voice.

“Col. Paddington, this is Col. Carter speaking aboard the Odyssey.” The controls almost slipped out of her hands. Sam was at the Odyssey? What about the rest of the team? Wouldn’t be so great, but couldn’t be changed now. She couldn’t believe it when Dan told her a few weeks ago who all belonged to the team!

“Col. Carter, I’m happy to talk to someone who knows what they’re talking about.”

The General blushed and Jack couldn’t help grinning. So that was Antonia Paddington she was referring to at their first meeting. The special snowflake that, despite her extreme openness, had made it where she was now.

“Col. Paddington, the Odyssey squadron should fly past you in a maximum of five minutes. What can you tell us?”

Toni shared her findings with Sam, who immediately thought them through. “That doesn’t sound like any technology we’ve ever dealt with before. But ...”

“However, this does not apply to Col. Sheppard”, added Toni, who recalled the report.

“Homework done, huh Colonel?” asked Jack in a friendly, interested voice.

“General, I don’t use any technology without having been thoroughly informed beforehand. Especially when my life depends on whether I would be able to use it with my eyes blindfolded and... What the hell?”

“Col. Paddington? What’s going on?” Sam’s voice suddenly sounded tense and Jack and Daniel both leaned forward in their seats. Toni didn’t answer at first, then a series of rather colorful curses sounded, some of which Jack absolutely wanted to remember in order to someday use them in Washington. “Toni, talk to me!” Sam was aware of her listeners, but was less concerned about it at the moment. “Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

“Whoever frakensteinert these damn things have provided them with a kind of petrogenesis transporter beam.”

“What do you mean? Toni, linear expressions, please.”

You could hear a deep breath. “They use the damn asteroid belt as ammunition and started shooting at me. Where the hell are the Argonauts?”

Daniel shook his head in shock and ran sighing through his hair. Jack looked at his friend from the side, saw how tense he was and tried to distract him by asking a question that seemed incoherent.

“Daniel, how exactly does Carter know Col. Paddington”, Jack asked the question that had bothered him since his first encounter with Paddington.

“Because of me”, Daniel confessed quietly. “Toni and I know each other since New York. We made the museums unsafe in our childhood. Until her mother died and her father showed his real face and shipped Toni off to a military academy because he didn’t know what to do with a daughter and his various ex-wives felt threatened by her. We have been in contact more or less over the years, but Toni is what I have in family apart from the SGC.” Jack’s gaze changed from questioning to freezing cold when Daniel told him what had happened to Paddington. How could you do such a thing to your child? If he just imagined treating Charlie like that... He shook his head as Daniel continued to speak, better not to drift into those depths. “Toni’s brain is like a sponge. She absorbs everything, but it must be linked to images. Films, theatre performances, pictures, landscapes, etc. She remembers all the places she had ever been to and can run everything she experienced like a film in front of her eyes. Usually she is quite good at filtering her thoughts and formulating them clearly. But when she is excited, or gets into stressful situations, it can happen that she starts to express herself in film and theatre quotes. You have to slow her down and remind her that not everyone can follow her intuitive jumps.”

Jack nodded understandingly. “Then her question about the Argonauts?”

“Is referring to Jason and the Argonauts who could successfully sail between Scylla and Charybdis, unlike Odysseus.”

“Argonauts sail, pilots fly. Thus, the Odyssey’s 302. Oh gosh”, sighed Jack, at which Daniel just nodded and then concentrated again on the screens.

“Starchild”, reported the Sergeant who had made the first report. “SGx has landed successfully.”

“Nice to know”, sounded Toni’s pressed voice. “I think it would be better if you made a little more room for me. My baby feels like a stubborn rancor and is about as controllable. I’m afraid there’s been a lucky hit.”

The next minutes were tense silence, until suddenly a panicked voice sounded. “Starchild crashed! I repeat: Starchild crashed! Notify the rescue teams immediately.”

“Major Gomez”, forced Jack himself to say in a quiet voice. He could see that Daniel was about to collapse in the chair. “What’s the exact status of Colonel Paddington?”

“I don’t know exactly. The plane is on the runway, but one of the engines seems to be burning. Smoke is rising.” There was a soft murmur, and then Roxy was back. “Captains Williams and Tanaka will try to approach the fighter and free Starchild. Specialists Westley and Smith are trying to prevent the flames from spreading.”

Daniel had been informed about Toni’s idea to give all non-military people the title Specialist if they successfully completed the training, so that the unit could give a more military impression. Apparently, Roxy had decided that the current situation required military structures and jargon. Hence the use of rank.

With half an ear Jack heard how the Argonauts - um, the 302 of the Odyssey were able to destroy the attackers thanks to Paddington’s information. The debris would join the asteroid belt and hopefully the matter was settled; even if Sam and her group of geeks in the Mountain and in Area 51 would analyze the data thoroughly.

“Stargate Command, they’ve freed Colonel Paddington from the plane and will bring her to the Mountain. All I know is that she’s alive.”

Daniel collapsed with this message Roxy’s, but then jumped up and ran towards the infirmary. If Toni was really unconscious, he was the one who had to make the decisions.

Jack looked after his friend and wanted to turn to his Sergeant, but found himself facing Maybourne-me and his cohorts.

“What are you going to do now, General O’Neill?”

Jack leaned back relaxed. “Actually, I had planned to look in the canteen to see if there’s pie or blue Jell-O for dessert today. Then I wanted to borrow a 302 from Peterson Base to steal away to my cabin and then...”

“That’s not what I meant!” he was irascibly interrupted. “Colonel Paddington has disobeyed a direct order and has to be held accountable!”

Jack crossed his hands in front of his stomach and his gaze hardened. “What do you think she did? As I see it, she analyzed a situation and made a decision about it. By her action she gave the 302 the time to reach the enemy ships and based on the information an attack on Earth could be prevented before it could become a real danger. So, what did she do wrong? Except to speak to you when you just distracted with your inappropriate babble.” Maybourne-me continued to puff himself up, but Jack only lifted a brow. “The way I see it, you have a problem with Paddington being a woman who is more intelligent than you and your Minions combined. She didn’t attack anyone! She has returned to Earth. Maybe not at full speed, but that doesn’t matter. The crash, if you can call it that at all, wasn’t Paddington’s fault at any time. You’d better go back to DC before you make a fool of yourself. My opinion is that SGx passed the tests completely and to our complete satisfaction. And I will pass that evaluation on as well.”

“I won’t put up with that. Neither from you, nor from anyone else!”

Jack leaned forward. Now completely calm and everyone knew that he was then the most dangerous. “Say, can you count?”

The Marine General stuttered briefly, then straightened up. “Of course! What strange question is that?”

Jack stood up, leaned to the side and pointed to his shoulder. “How many stars do I have here? And how many do you have?”

The Marine flinched because Jack did indeed have one star more than he did. “Of course, General. I beg to excuse my tone”, he said meekly, but then puffed himself up again. “But nevertheless, I will seek an investigation by NCIS into the incident and Colonel Paddington’s behavior.”

Jack walked towards the door, waving at the other Generals over his shoulder. “You can try. If you find someone who already has security clearance.”

~.~

Daniel looked at Toni’s motionless figure in the hospital bed and sighed silently. Cut wounds adorned her face, where edges of the helmet collided with the cockpit cover and had broken off. Since the helmets - like the fighters - were still being tested, these weak points had been precisely documented in order to fix them as quickly as possible. In addition, Toni had a capsule contusion with a hairline fracture in the elbow due to the impact on the instruments and bruises in the torso area due to the safety belts that had caught and torn her back on impact. Daniel had already informed Sam that she should come back as soon as possible to heal the torso injuries with the help of the Goa’uld hand device. But the real problem was in something else. Daniel turned his attention to Dr. Lam, who was standing in front of him with a – Toni’s – medical file.

“Dr. Jackson, you are Col. Paddington’s next of kin, at least that’s what it says in our records. We have found a small inconsistency in our examinations.”

“I suppose”, said Daniel, hoping to nip the conversation in the bud. But he should know Dr. Lam better.

“In Colonel Paddington’s blood the gate enzyme has been discovered. But that can’t be, can it? To my knowledge, she’s never traveled through the Stargate before, has she?” Daniel shook his head. That damn GE! Quite early in their travels, they realized that a seemingly harmless enzyme was being formed in the blood. For a long time, it had not been clear what the exact efficacy was. But the assumption was already there that it caused one not to be frozen stiff for a moment after the journey. The young ones – so the Tollans and Nox had expressed it – believed that one got used to the journeys and therefore the reaction to the journey changed. But Daniel had already agreed then that it was the GE.

After all, it was the reason that Senior had wanted to disinherit Toni. Toni had been seriously injured in basic training and needed a blood transfusion. It had been found that Senior’s blood type did not fit Toni. In addition, the blood tests revealed something strange that had been dismissed as contamination at the time. Meanwhile Daniel knew what it was and had enlightened Toni. But, could he tell Dr. Lam? Could he, was he allowed to reveal this secret? “When Colonel Paddington is conscious again, we will do more tests to find out how that can be.”

Okay, Daniel decided. He wouldn’t let that happen! Toni would have to deal with that.

“Dr. Lam, you’re not going to run any tests! The appearance of GE is not life threatening! I know why it appears in Toni’s blood work. She knows why it appears in her blood stream. We should leave it at that!”

Dr. Lam resolutely closed the file. “Dr Jackson, if there are other ways that GE can show up in the blood, we need to know that. We could artificially feed it to our people and they wouldn’t be vulnerable on their first trips. Maybe this way can be applied to other things as well. For example, the ATA.”

Daniel lowered his head and thought. Lam was right. “Dr. Lam, the following falls under the most extreme medical secrecy. It is not to be noted anywhere. It is not to be discussed unless it could save lives.” She nodded, whereupon he breathed courageously. “Toni’s blood contains the GE because her father had traveled through the gate several times before she was born.” Dr. Lam’s eyes grew as she became aware of the meaning of this one sentence. The history of SG1’s travels through time was well known. Daniel guessed what conclusion she drew from the fact that he was listed as Toni’s next of kin. “It is not me. But I swore to remain silent about the true identity.”

She nodded, tucked the file under her arm. “That’s all I need to know.” With that she went to her office, shaking her head internally. Life in the SGC was just never to be boring.

Daniel turned to the door to quickly organize a cup of coffee, and then to wait at Toni’s bed until she woke up. Shocked, he stopped when Jack appeared in the door with a stony face.

“Jack, listen, we... We didn’t know if and she... It does...”

Jack raised his hand to stop Daniel from speaking. “Born 1970, in New York, of course.” He shook his head briefly. “I just wanted to say one of the Marines feels to be miffed and wants to bring in the NCIS.” He turned away, but stopped. “Who knows?”

“Toni, Roxy, me and ... Sam.”

“Carter too, then? Did you ever plan on telling me?”

Daniel flinched at the injured tone, but tried to be honest. “Toni, she... she didn’t know how... And Senior...”

Jack nodded understandingly. The man she thought to be her father had simply dumped her. Then how would she know if he would behave differently? “I’ll come back later when I know more about NCIS.”

He walked away with stiff steps toward the elevator. He had to think. He needed fresh air. Oh God, he had a daughter! Starchild... It suddenly made so much sense!

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised you the next chapter before the end of the week. It's sunday 11a.m. here, so I kept my promise...

_Part Two:_

Toni stared shocked at Daniel. It could, no should not be true! It had never been supposed to happen like that!

“I’m really sorry, Toni, but when Dr. Lam discovered the gate enzyme in your blood work I had to do something. No one could have imagined that Jack would show up in front of the infirmary to talk to you at that exact moment, because one of the JCS felt that a woman should not be in charge of the squadron and wanted to call NCIS on the scene to investigate your misconduct.”

“You mean to say, suck it up Buttercup was just the fucking luck of my life again”, Toni asked bitterly as she straightened up in the bed.

“Well”, Daniel was prevented from answering and Toni closed her eyes in frustration when Jack showed up at the door. “Danny might have chosen somewhat different words, but the meaning remains.” Jack came closer and now, knowing it, he could see the similarities. But even more than the exterior, he recognized the character similarities between him and the Lt. Colonel. “Daniel, would you leave us alone for a moment, please?”

His best friend already wanted to protest; had even taken his typically stubborn posture with the arms crossed in front of his chest, but a sighed “It’s all right, Dan” stopped him.

He looked questioningly at Toni and she shrugged with her uninjured arm. “At some point the day had to come. It’s not worth putting off the inevitable.”

Daniel nodded, gave her a brotherly kiss on the forehead and left the room with a look at Jack to warn him off some bullshit.

“Well”, Jack insecurely lowered his hands deep into his trouser pockets.

Toni – who realized it wasn’t easy for him either and that he didn’t know what to say – continued to sit up and hold out her hand. “Lt. Colonel Antonia J. Paddington, callsign Starchild because my mother always in loving memory told me about the brave man from the stars who had to return to his homeland to wage war against an overpowering enemy and fight against the establishment. Pleased to make the acquaintance.”

Jack laughed choked and carefully took her hand. “Claire told you that?”

Toni nodded and wondered if she should tell him the truth about her mother. About what condition she was always in when she talked about him. But a look into his tortured eyes stopped her. It was better if he did not know everything.

“So, what did I hear? NCIS wants to piss me off?”

“Yes”, grumbled Jack. “The idiots sent Gibbs and his gang of cowboys. But only Gibbs has even almost the right security clearance. Also, Agent McGee and someone named Sciuto have tried several times to get more information about the accident. At the next attempt to hack us, I’m almost inclined to search the pit of Carkoon and feed a Sarlacc.”

Toni couldn’t resist a laugh, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and fixated her father. “This won’t stop until I talk to Gibbs. He believes he must and may know everything. No matter by what means. So, get me a uniform and drive me to Peterson. Let’s show a Navy cop you don’t mess with the SGC.”

Jack grinned crookedly. “And even less with this family.” He looked insecure and questioning, not sure how she would react to that statement. But he knew that now that he knew the truth, he wouldn’t give up his daughter.

“Family”, she said with a slow nod.

Gibbs looked up as the door to the meeting room where he and his team had been shipped to opened, and Marine Lt. Colonel Antonia Paddington came in accompanied by an Air Force General. Under her uniform, neat and tidy to the last badge, one could clearly see the cuff that protected her injured arm. The cuts on her cheek and forehead, which she had sustained as she hit the Air Base’s runway, were also clearly visible. Gibbs had read the report and although there had been no pictures, it was clear that she had been incredibly lucky not to have been hurt worse. What Gibbs didn’t know, and what would never be found in any report, was the fact that Sam had already cured the bruises on Toni’s organs with the Goa’uld hand device, leaving only the relatively harmless injuries to avoid arousing too much suspicion.

Gibbs watched as the General adjusted the chair for Lt. Col. Paddington and only then sat down himself. A strange action, since the higher ranked always sat first; normally. But the proximity of the two to each other made him suspicious and made the whole accusations appear in a completely new way. Because, if the two were in a relationship, it wasn’t necessarily against the rules, but they were still in a kind of chain of command. Paddington presumably believed that this justified her violation of direct orders without having to fear consequences.

“General, you didn’t have to sit down. I’m here to question Lt. Col. Paddington.”

Jack smiled coldly. “You can ask your questions, Gunny, and maybe you’ll get some answers. But not until your gang of lackeys have left the room. None of them have even remotely the proper security clearance.”

“I was aboard Air Force One”, complained the woman who Jack identified as Agent Todd based on the information he had gathered about the people on that team. When Toni first told him about her problems with Agent Gibbs, he wanted to be prepared for all eventualities and so had made a few enquiries.

“I was at MIT and Johns Hopkins”, Agent McGee puffed himself up as if it was some kind of legitimacy.

“In my training at Mossad, they taught us that general clearance is only a hindrance. That was decided on a case-by-case basis.” Even after years in America, Agent David had not yet learned that the sun did not rise and set with Mossad.

“And the Air Force and the US Marine Corps taught us both that it’s best to shut up when you have no idea what this is really about”, Toni replied with a calm voice and then lifted a brow in David’s direction as her gaze hardened.

Jack twisted the corners of his mouth into a little smile. From minute to minute he noticed more similarities to Toni. The tone of voice and what she had said could have come from him, too, when he faced one of the Ba’als, who tried to intimidate him.

He turned his attention to Gibbs; sure that Toni could deal with the Underlings. “Well, Gunny. What made you flee from Washington? Not that I can’t understand someone wanting to spend as little time as possible in that town. But Colorado Springs seems a little as an unusual spot to spend time off as someone from NCIS.”

“First, it’s Agent Gibbs!” In Gibbs’ voice was to hear that he absolutely didn’t like to be so dismissively addressed with his former military rank. Thus, his contempt was hard to overhear when he added a “General”. He absolutely couldn’t stand these muckety-mucks who had rarely experienced a real battle in their lives. He skillfully ignored the fact that the awards on his opponent’s uniform spoke a different language. He just didn’t care; he was here and he would say how the things would go on.

“Not really”, Toni joined in, convinced even more by the few minutes gone by that she’d to be drugged and brainwashed to join the team of her own accord. “After 9/11, you volunteered to join the USMC reserve. With the rank you had when starting to work at NIS. This means that you are still responsible to the UCMJ for your actions. Furthermore, General O’Neill and I are far above you in rank and can decide what you learn and what you don’t. That would be different if you were an AFOSI officer, or a normal NCIS Agent with the appropriate security clearance. So, feel free to ask your questions, Gunny. But be prepared not to get all the answers you claim the right to have.”

Jack grinned, and then looked at McGee who was typing wildly on his PDA. “I hope for your sake, Agent McGee, you’re just writing down what’s being said here. By the way, O’Neill is written with two l’s.”

Toni laughed at McGee’s facial expression, which strongly reminded of a deer trapped in the headlight of a car. Means he hadn’t taken minutes, but tried to get access to things that he had nothing to do with - again.

“Interesting, Lt. Col. Paddington, that you refer to the UCMJ when the reason for us being here is a violation on your part of the same”, grumbled Gibbs, who was now even more certain that he wanted Paddington for NCIS and his team. If she managed to silence Kate and Ziva with a few words, what would she be able to get out of suspects? Not to mention her intuitive and analytical skills that he had noticed before? If he could prove an inappropriate relationship with her CO, then she had no other choice but to gratefully accept his offer. He just would have to invest some time to convince her who was in charge, but that would be done quickly with a few well aimed head-slaps.

Toni leaned back, carefully repositioned her injured arm, earning worried sideways glances from Jack, which she simply waved off. “In what way do you think I violated the Codex? What has a General who couldn’t cope with being put in his place by an intelligent woman given you as flimsy reasons? Because that’s exactly what happened. I was in a training simulation with my squadron; there was a situation that had to be analyzed. I decided to delay my retreat to gather information and asked to be connected to someone who knew to gain something from it. General My-Daddy-was-already-a-high-brass”, Jack snorted and could only shake his head at Toni’s inquiring look in his direction – including a lifted brow – “felt threatened by the fact that someone younger and whose reproductive organs were inside the body instead of outside, was ahead of him mentally. That the specialist with whom I was finally able to speak was also female was probably too much for his poor soul. But since this person has been involved in this mission for a longer time, he thought he had found an easier target in me. But he was wrong.”

“And why do you believe that?” Gibbs admired the calmness of the Lt. Col. and her ability to describe the events without really saying anything. Oh how useful that skill would be at NCIS. The suspects would have absolutely no chance.

“It’s very clear. She’s rolling in the straw with the General. That’s why she’s not here alone.”

Agent David only earned a synchronously lifted brow for this statement, but was then ignored. Toni knew enough about Agent David and her career not to be provoked by her to verbal battles and for Jack, who had already seen so much in the universe, she didn’t even appear on his personal Defcon scale; Ori, Ba’al, Anubis, paperwork, politicians and much more, but not Agent David.

“Does your team often get reprimanded for the inappropriate behavior of its members, Gunny? There are people who might take Agent David’s statement as an excuse to initiate an investigation into slander."

“And you don’t, Colonel Paddington?”

Toni grinned at Agent Todd broadly and replied calmly. “I have nothing to hide. However, I have finally received the answer to a question that has bothered me for some time. I’ve always wondered who came up with the brilliant idea of accusing Capt. Lance Williams of rape and murder without any real evidence. But if Agent David already draws the conclusion from my and the General’s behavior that we have a romantic or even purely sexual relationship, then nothing surprises me anymore.”

Gibbs shook his head when David was about to react, then concentrated on Toni again. “But that doesn’t answer the question. Why do you think you are untouchable?”

“I never said that. My behavior against USMC General I’m-a-disgrace-to-the-uniform never for a second even scratched at insubordination. Was I more informal in my choice of words? Possibly. But since I didn’t know who was in my radio connection, I couldn’t act accordingly. Not to mention that it happened during a maneuver. The person at the other end of the line could have been an annoying politician, a Captain, a Gunnery Sergeant with a power complex or an MIT Graduate with more arrogance than intellect. Agent McGee, if you ever try to hack my personnel file again or this conversation appears in some barely veiled form in the trash you call literature, then I will take advantage of the relationships I really have.” The last sentence was said in a much sharper tone, even though Toni had never averted her attention from Gibbs at any moment.

Agent McGee defiantly stuck out his chin. “First, the characters and actions in my books are not based on any real events. And what other relationships do you think you have besides the inappropriate ones with your CO?”

“Oh, then LJ Tibbs is not the same as Leroy Jethro Gibbs? Agent Cathleen Scott, formerly US Secret Service which she had to leave because of a romantic relationship with her partner, of course has no resemblance to Agent Caitlyn Todd. My mistake, how could I think such a thing?” Toni’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “And what relationships? Gunny, I would have thought you had your people gather at least the most basic information about everyone involved. Tststs. Letting his people run into a situation blind. Disregarding the Rules of Engagement. Pretty bad.” Jack wasn’t too ashamed to admit that he was having a great time. That was almost more fun than watching Teal’c sweat up high-handed politicians in nerves with his mere presence. “Agent McGee, there are people who have euphonious names and expect them to open doors for them. Then there are people who expect that if Daddy is an Admiral or a big shot in government or the Director of an Agency, it will help them move forward and that for the old man’s sake the mistakes and missteps of the spoiled brood will be overlooked. And then there are those who fight day after day to build their own lives despite their relationships. They have to assert themselves against prejudices that what they have achieved was only thanks of their family and their connections. I was at a military academy from the age of 12 because Senior didn’t know what to do with a child. When he learned that he had not fathered me, he wanted to disinherit me. But that would have meant for the scumbag that he would lose my mother’s family’s money, and he didn’t want that.” Jack couldn’t help but admire how calm his daughter was when she told this. It was as if she was just giving a report and it hadn’t hurt her incredibly back then. “But it was out of the question for me to play ATM for someone who doesn’t really want anything to do with me. This is why I told him that he could kiss my ass and took my mother’s maiden name. Does PDT Inc. say anything to any of you?” She let her gaze wander and smiled cold as Agents Gibbs and Todd showed signs of realization. Strangely, Agent McGee looked even more questioning. “PDT Inc. stands for Protection Defence Technologies Incorporated and is one of the world’s leading companies for military, environmental and security technologies; practically real-life Stark Industries after Iron Man 1.” With this statement, understanding began to dawn on McGee’s face. But Toni wasn’t finished yet. “The CEO goes by the name of Clifford Louis Alexander Paddington, but I can call him Uncle Clive. To be honest, the CFO is a bastard, but cousin Crispian knows how to handle numbers like no one else. More important, however, is Uncle Clive’s older brother. Geoffrey Paddington is so often in New York that I keep jokingly claiming that he is already half American. His full name is Lord Geoffrey Arthur Edward Paddington and he is the current Earl of Oxfordshire and representative of the United Kingdom to the UN Security Council. In other words, I do not need to have sexual relations with superiors to gain any advantage, my familial relations would be quite sufficient. But I belong to the third group I mentioned earlier. What I have achieved, I have achieved through my own strength and effort. Can you say the same about yourself, Agents McGee and David?”

Gibbs laughed. “I know why I want you at NCIS, Paddington.”

Toni just shook her head, saving an answer for later. “Well, disobeying orders is omitted, insubordination as well. What else did the would-be General have to lament about?”

“Sabotage”, David said with arrogance and disdain in her voice. She had understood the Colonel’s critics, but what did she care what Paddington thought about her? Even if she came to NCIS, Ziva would have seniority over her and would make her pay for the comments.

“For crying out loud... That’s a bad joke! I flew in a test fighter jet and I miscalculated the landing speed. The damage to the engine, controls and landing gear is repaired in no time.” Toni stood up, smoothed out her uniform and looked at Jack. “I think we’re done here. But maybe you should call Henry. One of his JCS needs a refresher on what the modern military looks like.”

Her father nodded and rose as well. “A hint about the behavior of certain Agents might also be appropriate. You should know one thing; unlike the Lt. Col. I have no problem using connections when it helps me get problems off my neck. And the President also finds me amusing in most cases.” He looked at the four Agents and thoughtfully tilted his head. “Just out of interest, Gunny, who is your 2IC?”

“That’s me”, was the unanimous response of Agents Todd, McGee and David, who then turned their gaze on each other hostilely. This led to the expressive exchange of glances between Jack and Toni and the even more expressive arching of an eyebrow by the two soldiers.

“Nice kind of teamwork”, Toni said coldly. “Agent Gibbs, as for your recurring, annoying and unwanted offer my answer is this: Maybe when hell freezes over and Santa dances naked at the South Pole with some puffins.”

“And if I find one of your Yahoos in my systems again, I’ll throw that person into the darkest, deepest, blackest hole I can find.” Jack fixated McGee, who hurried to put his PDA away and put on an innocent face.

“And he knows some of them”, Toni added with a mirthfully grin.

Because of the daytime Jack had suggested to Toni on their way from Peterson back to the Mountain to have lunch together and maybe they could talk about some things. Toni had willingly agreed, as the few information she had about her father was what was in his file and the little Dan and Sam had been willing to tell.

Of course, they provoked some interested glances as they sat down together at a table. Since she had made it a habit to not react to such things and had already eaten with her squadron in the Mountain during the last weeks, Toni ignored the glances and rather told her father how Dan thought he had to rehearse his proposing to Sam with her. Jack shook his head laughing but also a bid sad. That was typically Danny. His own transfer to DC had left him unaware of some things. It had seemed to him that one day he had learned of the beginning relationship and the next they were engaged. Of course, some time had passed in between, but the distance had made it seem different. Jack just wanted to start with a story from the beginning of the program and tell her something about Dan that she didn’t know yet when a voice he knew interrupted him.

“Well, well, well. Who do we have here? No wonder you couldn’t tell me what your next assignment was. But I should have been able to guess: Marine pilot plus experimental aircraft plus orders from Washington plus transfer to a secret post, that can only mean SGC.”

Toni slowly laid down her cutlery, looked more or less apologetically at her father and stood up. Turning around hesitantly, she encouraged herself internally. On the one hand, the conversation between her and Jack had simply not yet advanced to the topic of relationships – even though she had already asked whether it was okay if she addressed him in private with Dad – and on the other hand there was nothing forbidden about her own. Only relationships within the same weapon category were not welcomed. But there was absolutely nothing against a Wookie and a Zoomie.

“Hello Colonel”, she said with a crooked grin. Oh, how she would later talk to him about being such a bad liar! Couldn’t he have just said he had been transferred to Peterson? There were regular Air Force troops there too. But that could wait!

“Hey Colonel”, was her boyfriend’s typical answer before he hugged her tightly. The last time they had seen each other was just too long ago. A slight coughing made them move apart after a few moments.

“Anything I should know”, Jack asked with his eyebrow lifted. “Mitchell?”

Jack hoped that Mitchell would be easier to get an answer from than Toni, O’Neill’s stubbornness and all that.

“Well, sir. You know, it’s like this...” Mitchell started stuttering, but Toni just rolled her eyes, pressed him on the chair next to hers and stared at Jack steadfast.

“No rules were broken, he behaved decently at all times, and at least he’s someone who understands me and doesn’t try to push me into a form that doesn’t suit me at all. Leave your threats, allusions and interrogation techniques alone.”

Mitchell made a tortured sound at the tone. You couldn’t talk to your superior like that! Even though Toni belonged to the USMC, Jack O’Neill was still the Director of the HWS and thus her superior. Toni reassuringly pressed his leg, but never interrupted the eye contact with her father. He finally sighed, closed his eyes for a moment and turned to Mitchell.

“Well, Colonel. Where did you and my daughter meet?”

Cameron felt how the color drained from his face. Pardon? Daughter? Why didn’t he know about it? He struggled visibly to grasp a clear thought and almost missed Toni’s answer.

“Oh, you know, Dad. A Marine Lt. Colonel who had a training accident and a newly promoted Air Force Lt. Colonel who crashed with his plane, even if it was in fact a battle over Antarctica and not a test flight in Alaska, they can cross paths in a rehab center of the armed forces. And misery loves company.”

Cameron flinched slightly at her tone when she mentioned the lie with which he had explained his injuries, including frostbite. Ignoring briefly who was sitting opposite them, he bent over to her and gently stroked with his hand behind her ear down the neck to the collar of her uniform. A gesture he knew for a fact was able to calm Toni down in seconds.

“Sorry I lied to you. But at that time, I had no idea that even a simple ‘need-to-know’ would have been perfectly sufficient for you. That’s why I never mentioned it again later.”

Toni put a hand on his cheek and smiled. “I know.”

Jack looked back and forth between the two younger ones and realized that these two had really found each other and decided to give them his blessing in a quiet moment, if asked. But later, that was the kind of conversation you’d better not have in the SGC canteen.

Gradually the atmosphere at their table relaxed so much that Cameron – after Toni had finished eating – dared to put an arm over the back of her chair and stroke her upper arm from time to time.

“Can anyone please explain to me what this is going to be”, a cool voice interrupted the animated discussion of the three about the benefits of football versus ice hockey and three very different reactions were to be observed. Jack just lifted a brow, Cameron stiffened and Toni sighed frustrated and bowed her head.

“Whatever you want to say... Shut up, Dan!”

“Wait a minute...Hold on…Dan, your kind-of-brother Dan is Dr. Daniel Jackson? The most not professorial professor since Indiana Jones?” Cameron could hardly believe it. He saw his girlfriend again after months spending apart and could finally be honest with her about his job, and then it came to light that his boss was her time-traveled father and Daniel Jackson was something like her brother. How did his life somehow turn into a telenovela?

“Danny Boy, I think that was a compliment”, was Jack’s dry comment, while Cameron hid his face on Toni’s shoulder, muttering something like “Somebody shoot me, please!”. Toni, being her father’s daughter, patted her boyfriend’s head and dryly said, “You should be glad. No awkward getting to know the people who are important to me. No meet-the-Dad dinner and no interrogations by my friends. None of this will happen because you already know each other!”

Even though it wasn’t recognizable by her voice, the look from her green eyes with which she focused on her father and Daniel made it clear that she wasn’t just saying that to calm Cameron. She expected them to stick to it.

“Hey, don’t spoil the fun!” That this statement came synchronously from Jack and Daniel showed how well they knew each other and made Cameron begin to question the decisions of his life. One thing was clear: Daniel Jackson should never be underestimated under any circumstances!

After Daniel had also taken a seat at the table, the mood remained tense and the relaxed respectful tone between Toni, Jack and Cameron had disappeared. But Toni didn’t see any reason to let anything ruin any of her relationships and pretty soon made it pretty clear to the three men that she wouldn’t go along with it if they got caught up in some sort of juvenile shit. Yes, Jack was her father and Daniel like her brother, but she wasn’t a little girl needing protection from anything. Both Daniel and Cameron had not been completely honest with her and therefore had not learned that they both had a personal connection to Toni and therefore had no right to any resentment. The men looked at each other, had to admit that Toni was right and shrugged at each other. Toni accepted this as agreement. Of course, she couldn’t expect any miracles from Jack – rights of a father and all that shit – but she took what she could get.

“Do you want to go public?” Cam asked when the mood had finally relaxed further and everyone at the table knew what he was referring to.

“Well”, Toni smiled slightly. “I won’t suddenly call myself Antonia O’Neill. My mother has already given a reference to my biological father with the choice of my second name. Contrary to popular opinion, J. does not stand for Josephine, the first name of my great-grandmother or being a reference to Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais of France, but Jacklyn. If I were a guy, I probably would have taken O’Neill as my middle name. But the more pressing question is how do we explain the small age difference?” She wasn’t sure how big the gap was between her and Jack, but it couldn’t be that big.

“Officially, it’s about eighteen years. But to be honest, it could be slightly over twenty”, Jack said with a crooked grin.

“How is that possible”, Toni asked in astonishment. How could there be a two-year difference? And eighteen was not unusual for being a Dad in the late sixties, early seventies. There are enough oups-babies in the world to testify for the factor that sexual education was not the best in the years back then.

“Let’s just say that Groundhog Day is not as funny as the film suggests.”

Toni stared at her father and he just shrugged his shoulders. While Daniel said in a low voice: “And you had to kiss Sam!”

Cam looked embarrassed and tried to avoid eye contact for a moment. He didn’t want to imagine it! Sam was one of his best friends and General O’Neill was the father of his girlfriend. Aw.kw.ar.d!

“Kissing Sam was the best decision since I joined the SGC, Daniel. If I hadn’t done it, I would have gone on with her like I did before: the flirting, but always keeping my distance because of the rules. That wouldn’t have been fair to her and not to you either, Dannyboy. Through my changed behavior Sam was able to realize her own feelings. Which was ultimately one of the reasons how you could get together.”

Daniel thoughtfully frowned and sighed. “Well, if you put it that way.”

~.~

“Toni, I gotta talk to you.”

She turned around and looked at her father questioningly, but then pointed to the door to her office. It was clear that her father had waited until she had returned to the Base to talk to her about something that was on his mind.

The last few weeks had been really quiet and informative. In Jack O’Neill she had found the father she had always lacked. He was all that she had missed in Senior and for everyone who took the time the relationship was recognizable. Not everyone directly concluded Jack’s paternity, but rumors were spreading through the Mountain like an Australian bush fire. Her relationship with Cam had also gained stability, despite her fear that it was only working because of the distance. But the proximity didn’t change the agreement that they had about what they expected from the relationship. Because of that she didn’t quite understand her father’s tense facial expression. Especially since SG1 didn’t have a mission at the time. Therefore, the odds that Cam or Dan had been injured were pretty slim.

“What’s going on, Dad?” She leaned against her desk and tightly crossed her arms in front of her chest. Jack, on the other hand, buried his hands deep in the pockets of his pants; a more than clear sign that he felt uncomfortable.

“I have to tell you something, but I don’t know how you will react. We told you about Groundhog Day and I know you’ve read some reports to get a better picture of what’s the daily madness of the SGC. I used the time loop for some things. Some things, like kissing Sam, did me good. Straightened my head. But there’s also one thing that I couldn’t let go of, even though I didn’t know what to do at that point.” He faltered briefly and decided to hug his daughter before continuing. “I figured out what happened to Claire. I know that she suffered from depression and developing schizophrenia.” Toni stiffened, but he held her tight. “I know you found her. Only there was no name or even gender in the report. I have only recently made the connection. Senior is really a son of a bitch, because his way of dealing with a traumatized child was to send you to a military academy shortly afterwards. Sometimes I really have a deep desire to present him to a Kaijū for dinner.” Toni laughed choked, but didn’t know what Jack was up to. She had closed with the deeds of Senior and Claire, despite her fantastic memory, was now only a hazy memory. She barely thought of her mother, apart from the vague fear that she had inherited the genetic predispositions for these illnesses. This was one of the reasons why she lived her life the way she did. She did not want to risk passing them on. Jack squeezed her closer and pulled her out of her dark thoughts. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for you to live with the fear of also getting these illnesses. But I can calm you. A little-known side effect of ATA is the prevention of the development of genetically caused psychological illnesses. Don’t ask me how or why. But it is.”

Toni breathed trembling in and out. Was her fear really that easy to overcome? Was it really that easy to get rid of that sword of Damocles? She buried her face on her father’s chest and decided to tell him at some point the real reasons why she had joined the military.

Of course, it had played a decisive role in helping her to flip the bird at Senior. But she had known early on that she didn’t want children. Regardless of the fact that she wouldn’t be able to force a child to live with the stigma of having relatives who were depressed or suffering from schizophrenia. She had experienced it herself; had noticed the glances, the glances that wondered whether you were already on the way to the mental hospital yourself. But there was another reason for not having children. Toni referred to herself as asexual.

She had no wish, no desire for sex and also neither for children. But, she had the desire for human company and a relationship. She couldn’t even count how often she was described as repressed or a freak or how often relationships were ended because the other person thought that a relationship without sex was not a real relationship. She shook her head mentally. Not to think about the past! She was lucky that Cam saw it the same way she did. They loved each other but had absolutely no problems with not having sex.

She closed her eyes gratefully and smiled. The military had provided her with so much, including plausible excuses for not having children. But now also the relief that she would never get this diagnosis.

She detached herself a little from her father and smiled at him with relief. "Thanks Dad."

At some point she would give him the answer to the question that could be read clearly on his face. But not today!

~.~

Of course, it couldn’t stay as peaceful as it started.

Less than a year after Toni was appointed the SGx squad leader, not only the SGC but the whole world – or whoever knew about it – was put on alert. The asteroids that had been destroyed by the Argonauts – the squadron of the Odyssey simply couldn’t get rid of this name – had only been the vanguard for a larger fleet. They were to test the defense of Earth and the surrounding planets. Apparently, the retreat of SGx and the small size of the Argonauts’ squadron had led to an underestimation of strength.

Odyssey, Sun Tzu, and Prometheus (normally used as stationary Earth defense) were tasked with protecting the planet along with all available fighters, while Apollo, George Hammond, and the new German ship Nibelung prepared to evacuate the heads of state to Hliðskjálf, the secondary planet on the edge of the Milky Way.

SG1 had been given the unpleasant task of playing bodyguard for the American government and some Agency Directors aboard the Apollo. Cam knew that his move to SG1 had meant that he hadn’t been in a fighter as much as he used to, but having to sit idly by and watch others get involved in a fight only led to him getting in a foul mood. The fact that one of these people was Toni only reinforced the fact. He felt like Luke Skywalker in _Return of the Jedi_ when he was forced to witness the Battle of Endor. He too stood directly at the window and could only passively follow the battle.

“Awful, isn’t it?” Jack stepped up to the younger man. “I never had any problems putting myself into the fight. But since the promotion it has become more difficult. Sending other people into the fight is something completely different. Knowing that out there my daughter is risking her life, I would love to get into the nearest fighter and shoot anyone into space who dares even look at her in a hinky way.” Cam laughed briefly. “But, Toni does what she was trained for and lives for. To take that away from her wouldn’t be fair and also not right.”

Cam nodded slightly. “I know. It’s just so hard. I feel useless standing here.”

Jack nodded understandingly. He had gone through the same thing when he was appointed head of the SGC. His answer was interrupted by a shocked “Oh my God”. They focused their attention on what was happening outside, seeing someone breaking out of the fighting and approaching the group of ships.

“Apollo, get ready for takeoff”, Colonel Ellis’s order resounded behind them, triggering the outburst of activity.

“No. Wait!” Jack saw one of the SGx chasing after the attacker and he had a bad idea who it was.

“General O’Neill, we really must...”

“Trust me, Colonel.”

The fight that followed was something that hardly seemed imaginable. The pursuer’s maneuvers seemed to go beyond imagination and to follow no rules. With a few targeted shots the attacker was destroyed and the pilot turned their aircraft almost directly on the spot, without showing any signs of speed reduction.

“Evacuationfleet, probably wasn’t that clever to position the ships crammed together like sardines in a can, ready for picking. I think I’d better stick around close.” Toni’s voice from the loudspeaker sounded excited and adrenaline-charged. She positioned herself at some distance from the BC-304s and in the next minutes made sure that nothing came near the fleet.

“Is that the person we were talking about the other day?”

Jack and Cam turned around together and looked at the President with a crooked grin.

“Yes, sir. That’s my baby”, this synchronous answer was rewarded with a shake of head, after which the two officers shrugged their shoulders.

“Command? The attackers retreat. Shall we take up pursuit?”

All eyes were on Jack and the President. The two spoke briefly with each other, then Jack turned to the combat squadrons.

“Argonauts, 302s, BC-304s, you retreat. SGx takes over the pursuit.”

“Copy that. Forge, you return too. I’m receiving notification of damage on your fighter.”

Felix confirmed and everyone could watch the fleet split into two parts. “Well then, it ain’t over till the fat lady sings”, joked Toni.

“Watch your back”, Cam murmured, not considering that the Apollo’s radio link would pick it up.

“Always”, Toni announced. “You know me, don’t you?”

Jack and Cam watched with a fearful heart as the lights of the SGx got smaller and smaller and eventually disappeared completely.

They wouldn’t hear from them for a long time.

_The End_

* * *

Please don't hate me... But this story arc is finished at this point. Maybe I'll return to this plot someday with a new story as part of a series. But nothing planed so far. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to the Wikipedia Glossary of military slang is "Wookie" an uncommon term to describe a female Marine. I found it fitting especially with Toni being a movie fan.  
> Hliðskjálf is from the Norse mythology and is the high seat of the god Odin allowing him to see into all realms.


End file.
